Utah Jazz
Panic move: Trading Lauri Markkanen
Year 2 of their rebuild, after trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert last offseason, hasn't gone exactly as planned for the Utah Jazz. But that's generally the struggle of the rebuild. There are steps forward and sometimes unforeseen steps back. However, the hope is that in the end, there are many more steps forward than missed ones. For the Jazz, this may be the time when they're seriously thinking about taking a step back.
That's because they must make a long-term decision on Lauri Markkanen. Ideally, you want to keep a player that talented on the roster. However, the fact that he's going to be 27 years old by the end of the season is somewhat concerning. To be quite honest, the rest of the Jazz's core doesn't line up with Markkanen's timeline.
And that could lead the Jazz to make a big decision at the trade deadline. Would trading Markkanen be a panic move that is worth it in the long run or a complete overreaction? That's what the Jazz will have to figure out over the next few weeks.